For American TV viewers, world events were drowned out by the media frenzy surrounding the swoop on the Neverland Ranch, which set in motion the arraignment hearing of the self-pronounced King of Pop next January. Martin Kaplan, professor of communications at the University of Southern California, calls Michael Jackson's arrest 'a miraculous combination of sex and taboos and pop music and plastic surgery', musing 'all that's missing is the white Bronco', a reference to the televised slow-speed police chase of OJ Simpson a decade ago.

In fact, cameras stayed fixated on images of Jackson's sports utility vehicle on the Las Vegas strip as the two-hour long motorcade was beamed live into homes via a swarm of news helicopters. But in the circus surrounding Jackson's surrender an unsettling, and perhaps surprising, parallel with the OJ affair is already emerging. While the artificially whitened and tightened Jackson is already in the throes of a public lynching by the mainstream media, the black media appears to be rallying around.

Just about the only television channel in the US not to tear up its schedules to cover the Jackson hoopla is Black Entertainment Television, whose website carried an impassioned editorial that insists 'even in the Entertainment Capital of the World, weird does not normally translate into criminal'. The BET article, which states that quirky and strange behaviour has come to mean not only criminal but already presumed guilty, suggests that White America has never forgiven Jackson for becoming so rich, and being able to indulge in such 'anti-social' behaviour as marrying Elvis's daughter. Jackson, 'try as he may, could never escape the reality of being black', asserts BET, with no trace of irony. On the other hand, Jamie Foster Brown, publisher of the celebrity magazine Sister 2 Sister, says that even though black stars 'seem like they hang around with white folks all the time, even though they distance themselves from us, seemingly, at the end of the day, we still claim them. Because when black people get in trouble, white people tend to look at the whole race anyway'.

In the last few days, several leading black mouthpieces have spoken, including, inevitably, civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, who was quick to voice his concerns over prosecutors' handling of Michael Jackson's child abuse case, describing the huge raid on his home as 'overkill'. Tanya Kersey-Henley, a media commentator and editor-in-chief of Black Talent News , has laid into the mainstream press for 'advancing an injustice - the Michael Jackson Media Indictment'. Kersey-Henley calls the approach to news reporting 'particularly repugnant, as the media is supposed to present both sides of the story with impartiality and fairness. Instead, they are systematically destroying Jackson through the influence they wield in the court of public opinion'. Furthermore, she says that even the selection of mainstream media pundits is suspect. 'Those already proclaiming Jackson is guilty, and his career over, have been smart, educated and well-dressed defence and prosecuting attorneys, entertainment journalists and Hollywood spin doctors. On the other hand, those asserting Jackson's innocence have been a hodgepodge of characters unable to effectively answer the tough questions and articulate their belief in his innocence.'

One of Jackson's most vociferous defenders is the commentator and black activist Dick Gregory, who took to the airwaves of black radio station WOL-AM, in Washington DC, a station that is keen to redress the media balance concerning Jackson. Gregory argues that the truth should come out whether it is damaging for Jackson or not, although he believes he is innocent. However, he used his platform to reel off conspiracy theories, questioning why the FBI was involved as the allegations are not a federal offence, and asking why every time an album or moneymaking venture is due, Jackson is hit with a scandal.

Gregory asserts that when they showed Jackson in handcuffs, it was symbolic of being black in America: 'When they handcuffed him, they handcuffed us all.' Yet, while this might baffle and perplex white (and, indeed, black) liberals, given the gravity of the offence Jackson has been charged with, allegations of institutional racism are definitely entertained by many callers to other black radio shows and posters to chatrooms and websites such as Global Black News. As Roland Martin, founder and editor of the website BlackAmericaToday.com explains: 'African-Americans have had an extremely negative experience with the criminal justice system. We more than anybody else believe in innocent until proven guilty. African-Americans think that we have to protect our own,' he said, 'because that could happen to me."

In other words, while black papers, such as the Los Angeles Sentinel - and, indeed, Britain's The Voice - have been sympathetic but sober in their coverage of Jackson, compared to the baying mainstream press, many media-punched black Americans suddenly regard the singer as the latest figure deserving of their preservation. Much like the embattled Simpson or Mike Tyson - who was jailed in 1992 for rape - or R&B star R Kelly, who was indicted in 2002 on 21 counts relating to child pornography and last January was charged with similar offenses. Tellingly, at the 'urban' magazine Vibe's annual awards ceremony held last week, where black artists queued to offer support for Jackson, R Kelly - who wrote Jackson's latest single - received a lifetime achievement award. At the event, Vibe editor-in-chief Emil Wilbekin declared: "Michael Jackson has been dogged for things for the last 10 years or more. I feel sorry for him because I think the genius of his music is getting lost in the scandal and controversy, but the man is human.'

However, despite his distaste for trial by media and his belief in justice, Roland Martin does not shrink away from criticising Jackson's actions. 'For those black folks who say this is another example of a black man being targeted, please, shut up, that has nothing to do with it,' he editorialises on his website. Noting that Johnnie Cochran, the attorney who handled the similar civil suit against Jackson 10 years ago, had called the singer 'naivek' for allowing himself to be open to attack by sleeping with young boys, Martin writes: "That's not naive. We call that off the charts stupid".